News from September 7, 2006 issue

Peoples deal done in 60 days
Terry L. Bunnell, who will be the new chairman, president and CEO of Peoples Bank, says the bank has a strong history and is positioned for growth.
Bunnell, 44, will be in Marion on a limited basis during the transition period, as the bank’s majority interest changes hands over the next 60 days.
It was announced a few weeks ago that bank president Gordon B. Guess and other large shareholders were selling their interest in the local financial institution, a bank that was founded by Guess’ father in 1946. Bunnell disclosed this week who some of the new stockholders will be once the sale is complete. They include Bill Morgan of Benton and Ted Williams of Dickson, Tenn. Morgan is chairman of Bradshaw and Weil, Inc., an independent general insurance agency and financial services corporation. Williams is president and CEO of Tristar Bank in Dickson.
Bunnell, who lives in Glasgow, will also be a shareholder and will be the principal owner overseeing the daily operations at the bank. He plans to be in Marion Tuesdays and Thursdays during the next two months while the transaction is being completed.
Bunnell said the purchase, which requires regulatory approval, should be finished by November. He said Guess will stay on in some role with the bank for another 30 days or so after the deal is done.
Bunnell said new investors have purchased over 50 percent of the bank’s stock. The employees own 40 percent. Bunnell would not disclose the names of any other new stakeholders in the bank, but said he is “thrilled to have a variety of shareholders who have ties to Crittenden County and other counties within western Kentucky.”
Bunnell, has an extensive background in banking, most recently with BB&T in Glasgow, where he was vice president in charge of banking operations in Barren County. He was also the initial organizer in chartering a new Glasgow bank in 2000, Citizens Financial. That bank was later sold.
Bunnell holds a master’s degree from Webster University of St. Louis and a bachelor’s degree from Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, Tenn. He is a part-time professor for Western Kentucky University at its Glasgow campus.
Bunnell has been very active in Glasgow community affairs, serving as an officer over the years in many organizations including the Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club and Community Foundation. He is also a paraprofessional tennis coach and deacon at the Columbia Avenue Church of Christ.
Keeping with the Peoples Bank’s standing tradition of See BANK/page 3A
community service, Bunnell said residents can expect nothing less in the future.
“We’re going to continue to be very active in the community,” he said.
He said Peoples Bank has plenty of room to grow and he anticipates the bank becoming more aggressive in seeking new business.
“The Peoples Bank has a good earnings track record and the bank is positioned for growth,” he said. “My partners and I are excited about the possibilities of taking a seasoned bank and developing a strategy for continual opportunities.
“Community banks have an inherent value and this bank is no exception when one considers the bank’s staff, community and service opportunities,” he continued. “When you have such a strong base of employee ownership, much more emphasis is placed on customer service and relationship banking. Your banker is the owner and has a direct commitment to the success of each customer interaction.”
The employee shareholders have approved the sale of the bank, pending regulatory review.
Bunnell does not anticipate any changes in the bank’s physical presence in Marion.
“Part of the deal in buying the bank was that we agreed to keep the name, keep it independent and retain the staff,” Bunnell said. “We do plan to bring some additional products to the market and will be looking to increase the value of the bank.”

Holly White

White new school PR person
Crittenden County School Board has hired Holly White for a new position as a Community Education Director. She will serve as a liaison between the schools and the community.
The full-time position is essentially a public relations job. White will work with the media and community to improve communications regarding things happening within the schools.
“It is what a public relations person would do at private firm,” said John Belt, school superintendent.
White attended Eastern Kentucky University and now lives in Marion with her husband, state police sergeant Brent White. She has been working at Sylvan Learning Center for the past eight years and commuting to Paducah.
White is excited to be working closer to home and to be in position to help students.
Her position is predominantly funded by a state community education grant which pays $20,000. The local school system will provide $5,000.
The grant was one of 15 awarded throughout the state and is renewable each year.
The Community Education Director must have good writing, public relations and marketing skills, according to the school system’s job description.
Along with working with the media and planning community programs, White will be charged with grant writing for the school system.

Guard has new recruiter & CO
The Army National Guard headquartered in Marion has a new face for recruiting.
Spc. Charlie Gray says she is excited to bring others into the military.
“It’s awful hours, but it’s great because it gets more people in the Guard,” says Spc. Gray, who has been assigned as the local Carson G. Davidson Kentucky Guard Armory in Marion.
Gray, 21, is a three-year veteran of the Guard. She has served as a dental technician and medic.
Along with promoting the armed forces in high schools and at other community events, Gray will be responsible for helping all new recruits complete their pre-enlistment process.
All would-be guard members must take a skills placement test, physical exam, fill out tax forms and complete other paper work. Gray will assist during pre-enlistment as well as make herself available to new recruits once they are assigned a post.
Gray is expected to make sergeant in October and is engaged to be married.
She grew up in Cadiz.
Gray will also work out of the Madisonville National Guard Armory.
For information about the National Guard, contact Gray at 821-7634 or 366-2118.
In other local Guard news, Marion native Cpt. Barkley Hughes is expected to be named company commander for stateside remnants of the local unit. Cpt. Hughes has recently returned home after a year-long tour in Afghanistan.
Hughes will be in charge of the rear detachment of Bravo Co. That’s what’s left of the company at the Marion armory. The unit’s primary force is now serving in Iraq.